A State Level of the NSPE

NSPE Update June 2021

Posted on by Staff
JUNE 2021

Register for the 2021 Virtual PECon

Registration is now open for NSPE’s Virtual Professional Engineers Conference 2021 (August 3–5). The early bird registration rate deadline is July 15.

Attendees will have access to up to 14 unique and insightful PDH sessions (live and on-demand sessions) and will have the opportunity to collaborate with peers and experts from across the country through the morning “coffee chats” and Mastermind sessions. In the Mastermind sessions, attendees will address their most pressing professional issues and tap into the knowledge, experience, and advice of their peers and PE experts to help workshop solutions. There will also be virtual engineering facility tours and a celebration of PE Day (August 4).

PECon at a Glance

Registration Options

A Day Pass for NSPE members is $99 until July 15 and $149 after July 15. The pass provides access to four PDH sessions, networking morning “coffee chat” roundtables of your choice each day, and evening post-session discussions.The All Access Pass for NSPE members is $249 until July 15 and $299 after July 15. This pass provides access to 14 PDH sessions, access to daily networking morning “coffee chat” roundtables, and evening post session discussions.Student members can register for a Day Pass or the All Access Pass for free until July 15. The rate for both passes is $50 after July 15. Nonmembers can join NSPE for $299 and receive member pricing.

Women in Engineering Event to Explore Gender and Racial Equity

DiscoverE and the Congressional Women in STEM Caucus will co-host an event on June 23, in celebration of International Women in Engineering Day. The event will include a lively panel discussion exploring the factors that attract girls to engineering, why women persist in the field, and the role you can play in achieving gender and racial equity in engineering and technology.

NSPE Government Relations staff coordinated the participation of the Women in STEM Caucus for the event. The Women in STEM Caucus seeks to bring public and congressional awareness to policies, programs, and initiatives that support women in STEM fields, and develop the next generation of women leaders. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), and Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) serve as caucus co-chairs.

NSPE recognizes the benefits of a diverse population of licensed engineers in shaping the future of engineering. Diverse backgrounds foster unique contributions and capabilities and create an inclusive community ultimately leading to a more creative, effective, and technically respected community.

Kansas Society Protects PE Qualifications in Licensure Bill

The Kansas Society of Professional Engineers played a major role in ensuring that legislation introduced to expedite licensure for military personnel and military spouses didn’t negatively impact engineering licensing.

KSPE convinced the Kansas House of Representatives to amend a bill (H.B. 2066) known as the Universal Licensure/Military Spouse Bill, according to the society’s newsletter. The amended bill included language allowing the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions to continue to measure PE licensure by established qualifications. Professional engineers were the only licensed industry to receive this status. The law takes effect on July 1.

This year, KSPE also led an industry effort to extend the University Engineering Initiative Act for an additional 10 years. The law provides $10.5 million of annual support split between the engineering schools at Kansas State University, the University of Kansas, and Wichita State University to increase student enrollments and provide scholarship and internship opportunities.

The Problem with One-Size-Fits-All ‘Universal Licensing’

Making it easier for professionals to practice across state lines is appealing, but if it isn’t done right, the public health and safety can be endangered. In an op-ed, Marta Zaniewski, executive director of the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing, examines the trend among state lawmakers to attempt to solve economic challenges through occupational licensing reform, often in the form of so-called “universal licensing.” These reform attempts require states to grant a license to a license holder from any state across all occupations and professions.

Zaniewski points out that poorly conceived, one-size-fits-all licensing reform can create new problems and could put the interest of constituents at risk by scaling back regulations and established accountability models that have protected the public for decades.

NSPE is a founding member of the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing.

The Unnatural But Ethical Act of Admitting Mistakes

By Rebecca Bowman, P.E., Esq.

Various philosophers and grandmothers have reminded us that the only way to avoid mistakes is to do nothing. Since we are not doing nothing, we will make mistakes. Consequently, we have to examine the mistakes we make as learning opportunities—opportunities to learn where we went awry—as well as accept personal responsibility.

In the NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers, the eighth professional obligation (III.8) states, “Engineers shall accept personal responsibility for their professional activities, provided, however, that engineers may seek indemnification for services arising out of their practice for other than gross negligence, where the engineer’s interest cannot otherwise be protected.”

In our business, learning where we went awry is called forensic engineering. As PEs, we are called to continually examine our assumptions, to diligently watch for deviations from expectations and other warning signs, and to continually dissect our problems and mistakes. Arrogant confidence that “I know that I have considered everything” frequently shifts to the humbling discovery that, in fact, something was missed. All problems and all mistakes contain at least one faulty assumption and at least one lesson to be learned so that that problem or mistake doesn’t happen again.

Read more.

2021–22 Call for Volunteers

NSPE needs your knowledge, expertise, and time to help the Society carry out its vision and mission and meet the goals of the strategic plan. Volunteer positions begin in mid-August and end at the 2022 Professional Engineers Conference.

There are three types of volunteer opportunities:

  • Level 1 (Highest Engagement)–Standing Boards and Committees
    Often includes attending at least one in-person meeting. Most meetings held via video conference. Terms may be up to three years.
  • Level 2 (Intermediate Engagement)–Ad Hoc Committees and Task Forces
    Activities primarily include online correspondence and video conference meetings.
  • Level 3 (Lowest Engagement)–Ad Hoc Volunteer
    Volunteer on a project-by-project basis.

Submit forms by July 9 to be considered for a 2021-22 term.

NCEES October Exam Registration

Registration for the October 2021 pencil-paper exam administration will open on June 14 (10:00 a.m. EDT) and close on August 26 (3:00 p.m. EDT). Exams will be administered on Thursday, October 21 and Friday, October 22. Registration for the computer-based FE and PE exams is open year-round.

NCEES is closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on exam administration. All exam site locations are currently proceeding with reduced capacity restrictions in place. Changes to state and local requirements that further reduce capacities for groups and events may impact the number of examinees that are able to test at a specific site. NCEES will continue to monitor these changes between now and exam day.

Learn more.

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